RwenzoriUganda 2014

rwenzori | Uganda 2014

Geneva/Kampala/New York: A two-week expedition to Uganda’s “Doomed Glaciers of Africa” has revealed further disturbing impacts linked to climate change, including rapid ice melting and the threat of reduced access to water for the area’s inhabitants. The expedition to western Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains was a collaborative effort between Pax Arctica, Makerere University’s Mountain Resource Centre, Green Cross International and the World Youth Parliament for Water. Its aim was to study Africa’s disappearing glaciers and raise awareness on the global water crisis. A final report is expected in coming months, but initial observations were disturbing. “Normal melting caused by the dry season (June-August) has worsened,” said expedition leader Luc Hardy of Green Cross France et Territoires, and founder of Pax Arctica. “You can see how the glacier is sandwiched between warming at the top and warming at the bottom.” Scientists have predicted the glaciers located in the Rwenzori Mountains, or Mountains of the Moon, may cease to exist in two decades, possibly as early as the mid-2020s. Studies have shown that from 1906 to 2003, the area covered by glaciers has reduced from 7.5 km2 to less than 1 km2 (a decline at a rate of 0.7 km2 per decade.) Receding glaciers have seen a reduction over time of water flow in the Nyamwamba River, leading to noticeable declines in hydroelectric power and reduced agricultural production. Research efforts to discover the impact of the disappearance of these glaciers are now critical.

Read Luc Hardy's interview with CNN

Mr. Hardy observed vivid signs of rapid melting, including hanging ladders set in place just a few years ago for scientists and mountaineers exploring the ice sheet that were shifting relative position; where there was once ice, there is now ‘void’. Sheila Ruyondo, environmental advocate and Uganda’s youth representative to the World Youth Parliament for Water, joined the expedition, and said the glacier’s recession, and climate change in general, threatened surrounding communities. “Climate change in the Rwenzori Mountain region will likely have different effects,” Ms. Ruyondo said. “With reduced access to water in rural areas, the distance women walk to get water from various water resources, like flowing rivers, lakes and wells, is increased. And there is no guarantee that this water is clean.” “Furthermore, with less predictable water availability and more frequent and prolonged droughts, food security is affected, as rural farmers heavily depend on rain for their crops. With drought comes famine.” Soil and plant samples taken from close to the glacier are being analyzed at Makerere University to provide researchers with clues on how the mountain ecosystem will respond, or even adapt, once the ice has disappeared, which, according to Mr. Hardy, seems highly likely in the near future. “Human-kind’s inability to contain climate change, and its negative consequences, can be visibly seen in this part of Uganda,” reflected Mr. Hardy. “What is happening in the Rwenzori Mountains sheds light on the challenges we are facing globally from climate change and the world water crisis.”

About Makerere University’s Mountain Resource Centre

The Makerere University Mountain Research Centre collects information on mountain issues and brings together researchers that do work in mountain areas especially in Uganda but also on global issues. It is the focal point for mountain research, organising workshops, conferences, trainings on mountain issues and documenting mountain research.

About the World Youth Parliament for Water

The World Youth Parliament for Water is a network of young people acting for water. It is active in 71 countries, with a mission to advocate for youth participation in the water sector, and to implement concrete actions for water. It acts at all levels: from local communities, where it implements concrete actions and lays the foundations for universal access to water and sanitation, to the United Nations General Assembly, where it advocates for youth participation in the water sector.

Rwenzori Mountains Upcoming Expedition 2014

Press release: Uganda expedition being launched to profile the “Doomed Glaciers of Africa”

16 January, 2014 | Entebbe, Uganda: A two-week expedition of western Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains, conducted by Pax Arctica, Makerere University’s Mountain Resource Centre and Green Cross International, is being launched tomorrow to raise awareness on the Africa’s vanishing glaciers and the global water crisis. The expedition is being led by explorer Luc Hardy, founder of Pax Arctica, an organization that promotes awareness of the impact of climate change on arctic regions. Mr. Hardy is also Vice President of Green Cross France et Territoires, which is part of the Green Cross International (GCI) global network, founded in 1993 by Mikhail Gorbachev to respond to the inter-related challenges of environmental degradation, security and poverty. Scientists have predicted the glaciers located in the Rwenzori Mountains, or Mountains of the Moon, may cease to exist in two decades, possibly as early as the mid-2020s (Taylor, 2006).

Studies have shown that from 1906 to 2003, the area covered by glaciers has reduced from 7.5 km2 to less than 1km2. Research efforts to discover the impact of the disappearance of these glaciers are now critical. The findings of the Uganda expedition will provide valuable information about the effects of climate change on Africa’s fast disappearing glaciers, and the consequence it may have on water shortages and water ecosystems in this region. Other objectives are to investigate the composition of plant species in the region, and develop the Mountain Research Centre’s glacial monitoring capacities.

“What is happening in the Rwenzori Mountains sheds light on the challenges we are facing globally from climate change and the world water crisis,” said Mr. Hardy. “Human-kind’s inability to contain climate change, and its negative consequences, can be visibly seen in this part of Uganda. The shrinking of this unique African glacier, along with the obvious loss on sustainable water supplies, pose major threats to local communities.” Joining the expedition will be Sheila Ruyondo, a Ugandan environmental advocate and Uganda’s youth representative to the World Youth Parliament for Water, which aims to raise awareness among young people around the world on the global water crisis. Ms. Ruyondo was raised at the foot of the Rwenzori Mountains, and is dedicated to promoting the right to access clean, safe water as well as initiating conservation efforts in this region of Uganda. Mountain guide David Rastouil and Ugandan university student Richard Atugonza will also participate in the expedition.

In an article by Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Tom Knudson, people familiar with the Rwenzori Mountains have noticed a disturbing shift in decreasing precipitation patterns in recent years. The lack of rainfall has caused many trees to die, diminishing the regions’ ability to soak up and store water, leaving downstream villages at risk for water shortages.

For updates in the coming days about the Doomed Glaciers of Africa expedition, please refer to Green Cross International’s blog and Pax Arctica for movies, reports and photos.

About Makerere University’s Mountain Resource Centre

The Makerere University Mountain Research Centre collects information on mountain issues and brings together researchers that do work in mountain areas especially in Uganda but on global issues. It is the focal point for mountain research involved in organising workshops, conferences, trainings on mountain issues and documenting mountain research.More information: http://scothee.mak.ac.ug/index.php?q=geography

About the World Youth Parliament for Water

The World Youth Parliament for Water is a network of young people acting for water. It is active in 71 countries, with a mission to advocate for youth participation in the water sector, and to implement concrete actions for water. It acts at all levels: from local communities, where it implements concrete actions and lays the foundations for universal access to water and sanitation, to the United Nations General Assembly, where it advocates for youth participation in the water sector.More information: http://www.pmje-wypw.org/